1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an interface apparatus and an interface method for controlling at least activation and termination of one or more application programs in accordance with user operations.
2. Description of the Related Art
At present, there is known a function (or software) called a “launcher” that is utilized in an information processing apparatus, such as a personal computer, for enabling a frequently-used application program registered previously to be activated promptly upon user request (see, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2003-157140 and Japanese Patent Laid-open No. 2000-322185).
For example, in a launcher as used in a well-known operating system (OS), icons representing application programs registered in the launcher are displayed on a so-called toolbar, and when a user selects and clicks on one of the icons using a mouse, for example, the application program corresponding to the clicked-on icon is activated promptly.
Known launchers have the function of activating an application program promptly but do not have a function of recognizing a current status of a registered application program as their own function. At present, the current status of the application program is managed by a task manager.
As such, the known launchers have a problem of sometimes causing double activation of the same application program by launching an application program that has already been activated because of their inability to recognize the current status of the registered application program. Further, the known launchers do not have a function of terminating a running application program as their own function.
An advantage of this invention is to provide an interface apparatus that is capable of activating a registered application program promptly like a launcher and has overcome the above-mentioned problems.